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William Shakespeare's tragedy "Othello" is a tale of vengeance and manipulation at the hands of antagonist Iago. The villain not only destroys the marriage of Othello and Desdemona, but also plays a part in the killings of multiple characters.

Exposition of Othello

The exposition of a work of fiction occurs at the beginning of the narrative when the characters, setting and initial conflict are introduced to the reader. In the first scene of "Othello," we are introduced to Roderigo and Iago, who expresses anger over Othello's failure to promote him. On a street in Venice, Iago uses Roderigo's love for Desdemona against him and convinces Roderigo that he must help warn Desdemona's father of her love for Othello. We learn that Desdemona's father is a senator with the power to punish Othello for his "stealing" Desdemona, which is the first part of Iago's plan for revenge.

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About the Author

Based in Los Angeles, Jana Sosnowski holds Master of Science in educational psychology and instructional technology, She has spent the past 11 years in education, primarily in the secondary classroom teaching English and journalism. Sosnowski has also worked as a curriculum writer for a math remediation program. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in print journalism from the University of Southern California.